, 1887-06-16
THURSDAY. JUNE IS, 1887.

THE infectious weakness for gam.
ing Is apparent to u greater or less
degree in the lives OF oil people, and
it takes every phase from matching
pennies to great deals in stocks,
grains and real estate. The profes.
sional gamester, who makes pre-
carious and questionable living by the
man lpulation OF cards is ostracized
from society, while the successful
and none the less questionable man.
ipulator OF gigantic deals in grain Is
petted and patronized figure in
upper tendon. Yet so far as the moral
character of the transactions are con.
cerned one Is just as bad as the
other. Buying grain on margins,
investment in stocks, the purchase
Of real estate for speculative purpo.
ses Is as pure and unadulterated gam
bling as Is betting on the turn of a
card in faro, backing hand at po.
ker, or investing in a lottery ticket.
The narrow difference is only in the
fact that the cloud Of public opinion
throws a shadow over the latter,
while society encourages the former
by the sunshine of its appreciation.
However, the man who loses for
tune by sudden decline In stocks,
grain or real estate purchased on
margin is as assuredly ruined by his
own folly as the man who makes the
not uncommon error of putting too
great confidence in a full hand, and
deserves no more sympathy. Chance
is q great tempter Of man.
kind, and there are few men who
can resist the temptation when the
opportunity presents itself to double
a sum Of money, and especially
is this the case II the opening looks
like "dead sure thing" This
desire to suddenly accumulate
wealth at the expense of others
drags thousands of men into the
maelstrom Of gaming Of every de-
scription, and one of the most prom
inent methods of betting under the
cloak Of respectabilty is the stock
and gain boards of the large center
of population throughout the coun
try. Stock boards aud exchanges
are organized by the prominent and
wealthy men of the cities, and In
these organizations cliques combine
against each other in the buying and
selling Of grain and all manner Of
corporation stocks, and at every
break in the market hundreds of
men are fleeced, prices, that are
supposed only to be regulated by
supply and demand, being forced one
way or another solely by the shrewd-
ness of the parties manipulating the
deals. 1t is system that Is as de-
moraIizing in its tendency as the
club room, be it the regally fur
niehed up town stone front or the
back room of a beer saloon, and just
as deserving of denunciation. De-
nunciation, however, will hardly
have the effect OF eradicating the
evil. It is too deep rooted to be
erased by a crusade OF reformation.
Like in every legitimate business
transaction the successful ones are
those the public hear about. the un-
successful rarely seek prominence
by advertising their lack Of judg-
ment, and hence men are lured on
by the glittering hopes of emulating
the fortunate, and are not intimi-
dated by the less conspicuous wrecks
scattered along the way. The break
in the price of wheat at Chicago this
week brought financial loss and ruin
to many, vet even the associated
press seemed intent upon covering
up the track OF the losses, speaking
iocularly of the damage done, while
referring in happy strain to those
who won by the unexpected deal.
This break Will have no effect in re-
ducing the number Of operators. On
the contrary 1t will be a spur to urge
on others, while the losers Will in
vest again in the delusive hope of
coming out even next time. Specu-
alton in any form isa disease that
yrows upon those who are attacked,
md il is assuming the form OF an
.pidemic, il it Is not already one, in